Sanmen 2 steam generators on site

The second steam generator for the second AP1000 unit under construction at Sanmen in China's Zhejiang province has been delivered to the construction site ahead of installation.

The steam generator is unloaded at the quayside at Sanmen (image: SNPTC)

The component - measuring 24 metres long, 5.5 metres in diameter and weigh 640 tonnes - was produced by Shanghai Nuclear Electric Power Company. It was delivered to the Sanmen construction site by ship on 6 March, State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation (SNPTC) announced today.

The two steam generators for Sanmen 2 are being produced in China, while those for unit 1 were manufactured in South Korea by Doosan Heavy Industries. The first locally-produced AP1000 steam generator, for Sanmen 2, passed testing on 21 May 2014. It was delivered to the construction site in January.

Two AP1000s are under construction at the Sanmen site, with another two being built at Haiyang in Shandong province. Sanmen unit 1 is expected to be the first AP1000 to begin operating. All four Chinese AP1000s are scheduled to be in operation by 2016.

SNPTC says it plays a major role in the transfer of knowledge and technology from the plant supplier, Westinghouse, through agreements featured in the 2007 deal to build the units at Sanmen and Haiyang. China wants to progressively become self-sufficient in deploying AP1000s and its own derivatives.

Four reactors of the same design are currently being built in the USA - two each at Vogtle and Summer - while three AP1000s are also proposed for the Moorside site in the UK.